The Humor Professionals
Explore the Practical and Therapeutic Benefits of Humor
You know what we’re talking about: laughter feels great! Sometimes moments of humor and laughter can almost feel like a magical, euphoric experience. At AATH, we study the science behind those experiences and how we can intentionally apply humor to make people’s lives better.
Did you know that humor’s innumerable health benefits include significant stress reduction, greater pain tolerance increased blood flow, and enhanced immune function? Plus, it has a wealth of other benefits, such as improved memory retention, enhanced trust, credibility, connection, and empathy. It even improves memory retention—did we already mention that one? ;)
If humor’s so amazing, shouldn’t we all be trying to work more of it into our lives? That’s where AATH comes in.
We enhance the health, well-being, and performance of people, organizations, and communities through humor.
About AATH & Highlights
from the 2019 Conference
Learn more about who we are and what we do—and check out some clips from our 2019 conference in Chicago!
Laughter Exercises for
Kidney Dialysis Patients
Our very own Teena Miller teamed up with Satellite Health to implement the nation’s first laughter therapy program for hemodialysis.
Fun fact: Teena’s a Humor Academy student, as well!
TEDx Talk: Leading with Laughter: The Power of Humor in Leadership
AATH President Paul Osincup’s TEDx Talk explains why the best leaders don’t take themselves too seriously.
A doctor, an engineer, and a comedian walk into a bar…
Chances are it was it was during one of our many evening events at our yearly conference. Besides the extracurricular mingling, the best thing about AATH is our multitude of backgrounds and professional experiences. We have members from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia! Six continents down, one to go. (If you’re a penguin from Antarctica, hit us up!) But there’s one thing we all have in common: we know without a doubt that #HumorHelps.

Humor as a Personal Wellness Strategy
Some of our members find AATH because they recognize humor as an integral part of their own healing process or personal journey. From cancer diagnoses to extreme anxiety—and even tragic losses—people find the strategies, humor, and support of the AATH community to be a catalyst to developing their own resilience.
The Professional Application of Humor
Much of our membership consists of professionals who use (or want to learn to use) humor in their work to achieve a positive outcome. We have counselors and psychotherapists using humor as a treatment modality. There are members who are motivational speakers and consultant trainers who focus on humor as a tool for increased performance and decreased stress. We also have nurses and doctors earning CEU and CME credits who use or oversee humor therapy in their hospitals. Certified laughter leaders and laughter yoga practitioners come to learn new techniques, as well as the latest neuroscience and psychological research about laughter. Business and nonprofit leaders looking for innovative ways to boost morale, increase their influence, or create dynamic teams also join AATH.

The Science of Humor
Our humor professionals couldn’t use evidence-based humor strategies without the evidence. This is where our researchers come in. An integral part of AATH is the research that gives credibility to comedy. We have member researchers from Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, Loma Linda University, UCLA, The American Institute of Stress, and many others. At our annual conference, researchers and scholars share their findings on how humor improves the human experience.
AATH Leadership
Paul Osincup
President
Jennifer Keith
President-Elect
James B.
(Jim-Bob) Williams
PE, RE, CHP2B
Secretary
Joyce Saltman
Treasurer
Gurinder Bains, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Beth Slazak
Past President
Nila Nielsen, CHP
Humor Academy Liaison/ Conference Chair
Elizabeth Catherine Usher, CLP
Director of Volunteers
Angie Robinson, MSW, CLYT
Director at Large
Mallori DeSalle, MA, LMHC, NCC, CCMHC, MATS, CPS
Director of Membership
Debra Norwood
Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Michele St.Clair
Executive Director
2019 AATH Award Recipients
Doug Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Don Baird
Notable Newbie Award
Mallori DeSalle
Doily Lama Leadership Award
Deb Price, RN, MSN
Humor Academy Making a Difference Award
Kathy Laurenhue, CHP
Book Award
Andrew Tarvin, “The United States of Laughter” and “Humor at Work”
Book Award
Don & Alleen Nilsen, “The Language of Humor”
Outstanding Academic Achievement Award
Olumbunmi Diala
Red Nose Award
Colleen Cooke, CHP
Heart and Soul Award
Nila Nielsen, CHP
Esther Hyatt Spirit of AATH Award
Cheryl Fell
Esther Hyatt Spirit of AATH Award
Katherine Puckett, CHP
The AATH Award winners have all demonstrated an ongoing commitment to—or have made a considerable contribution of knowledge to—AATH or the field of applied humor. As a volunteer nonprofit organization, we could not function without the dedication of humor professionals like these, so to say “Thank You,” we’ve posted their pictures on the Internet!
Congratulations to all of the 2019 AATH Award recipients! Take a screen shot, copy the link, and brag to your friends—you deserve it!
Thank You To Our Sponsors

We are a volunteer-driven, not-for profit (501c3) association, and we are serious about humor!